A UNESCO World Heritage Site in danger, the Buddha complex and surrounding cliffs and valleys in Bamiyan, Afghanistan survived 1,500 years before the Taliban blasted away the two giant statues in 2001. Today, many archaeologists oppose restoration for fear of future Taliban action and concerns that the damage is already far too great. While the focus turns to conservation and stabilization, Chinese family Janson Hu …
Considering how easy it is to respect a country’s culture, it’s wild to think that in 2016, Cambodia’s Apsara authority has had to ban tourists wearing inappropriate clothing from Angkor. The remarkably beautiful and historically rich place calls for visitors to cover their arms (to the elbow) and legs (below the knees) as a mark of respect, but a recent wave of tourists have ignored …
Archaeologists and cultural organizations have turned to 3D modeling to rebuild world heritage sites destroyed by Islamic State militants. Using dozens of photographs, they’re able to create computer models of the ancient structures. That data file is then uploaded to robots, which can then carve detailed replicas from marble. “Every time we resurrect from the rubble one of these monuments, it undercuts the message of …
